makin' the rounds and gets o the point:
Dear Mr. Snider,
I have received the Earl’s gift card for $35.00 as compensation for the consistently-disappointing experience I endured at your restaurant in Red Deer on April 3rd; however, in light of the decision by Earl’s senior management to purchase their beef from an American supplier, I will not patronize either your restaurant or any other Earl’s franchises now or in the future and will be pleased to return the gift card. Quite simply, Mr. Snider, there are alternatives - restaurants which support Canadian producers in return for my Canadian dollars.
I am not alone in my decision to delete Earl’s restaurants from the list of those I prefer to patronize. Everyone with whom I have spoken regarding this decision concurs.
Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba are renowned for the quality of the beef produced in the western Canadian provinces and it is exported around the world for good reason. Buyers from all over North America and indeed the world are prominent not only at the Calgary Spring Bull Sale but at bull sales throughout the province of Alberta simply because of the quality of our beef herd. There are beef producers in this country who diligently practise the art and science of raising organic beef free of steroids and antibiotics; in fact, such products are banned from both beef and dairy cattle in this country.
Why then would one purchase American beef? Very simply, the CEO of the Earl’s chain, Mr. Mohammed Jessa, is Muslim and the source of the beef which will now be offered throughout the chain is Creekstone Farms in Kansas where it is slaughtered in such a fashion that it may be sold to consumers both in the Middle East and in restaurants catering to a Muslim clientele. In short, it is Halal-approved. I have viewed the Creekstone Farms website and learned that in fact their slaughterhouse began as an opportunity to sell beef to such Islamic countries as Saudi Arabia. Their website states that all those employed in the slaughterhouse are Muslim and trained to slaughter cattle in a manner consistent with the Islamic religion. Their website further states that the cattle are not killed instantly but are stunned such that they are alive with their hearts still beating for five minutes before their throats are slit so that they then bleed to death. This method of slaughter is promoted by your restaurant chain as “humane,” and Mr. Jessa has stated that from this point on all beef offered for sale in an Earl’s restaurant will be sourced from slaughterhouses designated as ensuring such a “humane” method of slaughter. In fact, Mr. Snider, this is not about a so-called “humane” method of slaughter but about a decision made by your Muslim CEO to serve beef at Earl’s restaurants which has come from an Halal-approved slaughterhouse which is Muslim-owned and operated.
There are many beef producers in this province and indeed this country who do everything to ensure their cattle are raised in a manner consistent with organic-farming guidelines. But that is not the point, is it? Of course not. It is all about patronizing a Muslim-owned and operated, Halal-approved slaughterhouse which markets its beef as acceptable to those of the Islamic faith.
My ancestors on my father’s side came to Canada from Scotland to lead British troops in the War of 1812; my mother’s ancestors immigrated from Scotland in 1837 and as Christians we do not require that our meat be produced by Halal-approved slaughterhouses nor do the majority of Canadians. The sourcing of beef served in Earls’ restaurants has nothing to do with a so-called “humane” method of slaughter which in fact it is not; it has everything to do with a decision by Mr. Mohammed Jessa, CEO, Earls’ restaurants, to cater to the Muslim segment of the Canadian population. It is hypocritical to say otherwise. In fact, it is deceitful and dishonest. It is nothing but a marketing ploy designed to enrich a Muslim-owned and operated Halal-approved slaughterhouse in Kansas.
Our province’s economy has suffered enormous losses because of a glut on the world’s oil markets largely due to the inflated production quotas of Islamic countries. Tens of thousands of Albertans are unemployed as a result, yet the senior management of the corporation for which you work would now have us purchase imported beef initially designed to satisfy the faith-based dietary requirements of those same countries resulting in an additional negative impact upon the economy of western Canada. At current exchange rates, and regardless of any other factor, serving beef imported from the United States into one of the great beef-producing regions of the world makes no economic sense.
Well, Mr. Snider, I will do all in my power to ensure that no one of my acquaintance will ever patronise an Earl’s restaurant and bar again. And speaking of hypocrisy, the consumption of alcohol is forbidden by the Muslim faith. If Mr. Jessa is so faithful to his beliefs as to require that all beef served in his corporation’s restaurants come from Halal-approved slaughterhouses, it is only a matter of time before he will decree that alcohol will no longer be offered for sale in any Earls’ restaurant. How could he possibly do otherwise?
Enjoy your management position while it lasts, Mr. Snider. There soon may be nothing to manage.
Regards,
Donald**
